Que Sera Sera
by Aldesina
Summary: Hermione is wrongly accused of killing Ron and Harry and punishment is banishment from the Wizarding World. Voldermolt's powers are on the rise, Hermione is now being haunted by the ghosts of Hary and Ron, or perhaps they aren't ghosts at all? HH, HD
1. Chapter 1

                                                          Que Sera Sera

By    Aldesina

Chapter 1

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Disclaimer: Well as all of you know, all the usual rules and regulations apply, I own nothing, everything belongs to JK Rowling.

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They were finally here, Hermione did not want them to be here, and yet, here they were. Standing in front of the building, no, the fortress that had haunted Harry in his dreams for the past month. It loomed high over them with spiraling towers and elevated gates that were tipped with spears, some of them, drenched, in blood. The place scared Hermione, was this the place that Harry's mind transported him to each night when he dreamed?  

"Harry, I don't think it's a good idea." Hermione whispered softly to him.

            "But Ron, what about him, don't you want to help him? Don't you want to help your friend?" Harry turned at Hermione yelling at her. She jumped back, startled, but she saw the pain in his eyes, and her expression softened. She knew how hard it must be for Harry, it was hard on her too, yet for Harry it must be so much more painful.  Ron had been Harry's best friend for seven years, but it seemed as if they had known each other for longer then that. He was also the first person that befriended Harry when they were younger.

            "Harry, I promise, it will be alright, we will go get Dumbledore and he'll get Ron 

out of that Tower."

            "No!" Harry said vehemently, "He won't!"

            "Yes he will!"

            "No! No he can't, because he can't see it, because he doesn't see it here, because 

he can't even walk into it; he can only walk through it! Because nobody else believes us 

when we tell them, and because they don't get haunted by my dreams!" Harry collapsed 

down on the ground.

            "He's betrayed us"

            "No, no he just doesn't understand, I didn't explain it well enough to him, he'll 

get it this time, I'll be more clear when I speak, Harry…" Hermione knelt down and tilted 

Harry's head up to look him in the eye. 

            "We   can   make   him   understand."  Harry looked at her for a moment, and 

Hermione felt hope in her heart, maybe he wasn't going through with this crazy plan of 

his anymore. 

            "You don't have the dream either do you?' Harry said His eyes looked at 

Hermione with such an intensity that she thought she would be burned up in their green 

fires forever. 

            "No, Harry, I don't"

            "And you didn't see the body either did you?"

            "No, you… you, you held me back and wouldn't let me." Her bottom lip had begun to tremble and her eyes water. She remembered that day. Classes had been canceled and she and Harry had been asked to go to the headmaster's office. 

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Flashback to a month ago

Headmaster's Office

            Harry and Hermione walked into the office dreading the worst and expecting to meet Ron there. It's not that they weren't used to being called into Dumbledore's office. 

They had been called there on numerous occasions, ever since the rumors that Voldemort had gained a new power started around the Wizarding World. 

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"He can do magic without a wand!" One newspaper cried.

"He can move things with his mind!" Another shouted

"He'll destroy us all!" 

Dumbledore, having known something was wrong since before the rumors started had put Harry, Hermione and Ron under tight security, hiring back Remus Lupin and Rivera Lunstone; a female werewolf that Remus had met the last time The Order of the Phoenix had tried to stop Voldemort. She had been brainwashed by Voldemort, raised by him in fact, and made to believe that all humans, especially muggles were evil, and he alone was trying to help the world out by extinguishing the whole line of them. Remus had been sent in as a double spy, and eventually won her over to the side of good. They had been ordered to follow the three seventh years until it could be sorted out what was truly fact, and what was only a myth.

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Harry and Hermione were both motioned to sit down on the comfortable plush chairs in front of Dumbledore's desk. The usual cheery face and light tone that he would always greet them with was gone.

            "Ahem," Dumbledore cleared his throat. "Well I would first like to ask you to take a deep breath and stay calm at whatever I'm about to tell you."

            "It's okay Professor Dumbledore." Harry chipped "Whatever it is, whatever Voldemort has planned for us, we can handle it." 

            Hermione nodded her agreement to this, between the three of them; they could handle whatever Voldemort threw at them.

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For the past three years, ever since the incident at the Tri Wizard Tournament, Harry had began to prepare for whatever attacks that Voldemort might throw at him in the future. He trained daily in various forms of magic and even dabbled a little in muggle forms of Martial Arts. Much to his dismay, and secret joy his friends joined him in his endeavor. 

Ron became quite well skilled in the muggle Martial Arts forms, and even claimed that it must be a lost form of magic. Hermione had asked if he said that only because it was the only form of magic that he could fully master. Harry had laughed at Ron's indignant expression, then began grinning when he saw the gleam in Ron's eyes. He moved to a position behind Hermione who was still laughing and did not notice Harry. Ron suddenly ran forward and grabbed Hermione, picking her up in the air 

            "NO NO don't do that I just ate!" Hermione cried, "Not that again!"  Harry and Ron, now had a game between the two of them that involved picking Hermione up and tossing her between the two of them to cheer her up whenever she was depressed. This had begun in the fifth year when Victor had dumped Hermione right before Christmas leaving her crying in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. Harry had walked right in with bottles of butterbeer in one hand and her favorite Christmas cookies in another. He had burst into the stall she was in with a simple Alohomora charm. Pulled Hermione's hands away from her tearstained face, picked her up and twirled her around and around the room, until she was laughing right along with him. Then he tossed her over to Ron who had also appeared with Honeydukes chocolate and little Christmas poppers. Ron in turn also twirled her around and around, then tossed her back to Harry. They had done this until they were either too tired, (Ron had tired out before Harry and took a bottle of cold butterbeer to drink) and Harry hadn't stopped  until all the tears had dried on Hermione's face and she was laughing so hard that her sides hurt. 

            This time though, Ron did not twirl her around and around in the air as expected. Instead he threw her straight at Harry, which surprised him but he managed to catch her, although rather ungracefully and ended up falling to the floor. She landed in his arms, completely disheveled and not only that, Harry took the opportunity to tickle her. Of course this made Hermione squeal, and that made Harry tickle her all the more. When 

Hermione had finally gathered enough of her senses together, she launched a counter 

attack on Harry tickling him right back. Unbeknownst to them both Ron had simply stood 

over to the side smirking, and congratulating himself on a job well done on setting his 

two best friends up, the dunderheads that they were for not figuring it out sooner. 

            Ron was not the only one that benefited from the training, Hermione had too. She 

became exceptionally skilled in the art of Potions, (much to the consternation of Snape) and in the art of transfiguration.( to the utter satisfaction of Professor McGonagall)  She had also in her many studies secretly discovered her animangus form, as well as Harry's and Ron's. And within a years time had discovered how to retain those forms. She could now transform into a leopard, Ron took the form of a great dane, and Harry followed in this father's footsteps and became a stag. She got to the point where she could transform anything and everything presented to her. She could brew the most difficult potions without fail. (Which made Snape constantly take points off Gryffindor because he claimed she was showing off. However she did win them back in McGonagall's class for her "superb transformation talents") 

            And of course there was Harry, who in the words of Dumbledore had simply 

amazing abilities for his age. Harry had devoted himself to learning as many spells as 

possible, and practiced with Hermione, who was always pleased to help because she had 

finally met someone with as much of a yearn for learning as herself, and because she 

could practice the spells as well. Or he would just practice them himself. More then less 

often though, he would practice them with Hermione. Dueling had also become a very 

important aspect in Harry's life. For two years he participated in as many duels as 

possible, training with Ron, Hermione, Sirius, Remus, Rivera, and even from time to time 

Dumbledore would come to test, and instruct him. 

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"Ah Harry, it's not that I'm afraid this is too much for you to handle, it's the fact that I'm afraid how you're going to handle it." Dumbledore said with a sad look in his eyes. "Answer me this though, did you not find it odd that you have not seen your friend Mr. Weasley for a good portion of the day?" 

"We did see him Professor Dumbledore," Hermione cut in "He was with us during lunch, we planned to meet again after dinner was over. You see Harry and I were going to skip dinner and go straight to the potions room after classes to try out this new potion that I found in a book that's suppose to let your body automatically heal itself if you're hurt, also it's suppose to last for 24 hours after you drink a sip of it. We were just so caught up in it that I think we didn't notice the fact we haven't seen him in a while." 

"Really?" Dumbledore asked, suddenly glazing intently into Hermione's eyes. She faltered for a second. Why is he looking at me like that?    

"Actually you're right we did sort of forget a bit about Ron today, but that was only because we had no classes with him and the idea of a new way to help the fight against evil, was well, overwhelming." Harry added.

"I see" Dumbledore said and turned his glaze back to Harry, then dropping his eyes for a moment

"Professor" started Harry, "Why are you asking us about Ron? Is, is he alright?"

"Did something happen?" asked Hermione anxiously 

Dumbledore merely looked sadly at them again, straightening himself as he did as if bracing himself for something

"I am so sorry, but I…. your friend, Ronald Weasley… he's dead."

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Back to the Present 

            Hermione remembered that day, she remembered how she screamed, crying no, no, remembered the both of them demanding to see his body, remembered Harry's anguished expression on his face. It looked hollow and cold with tears streaming down his face. Hermione herself was hysterical calling Dumbledore a liar and demanding to know what happened and how come and why? However inside she knew why, it was of course to get to Harry. She shuddered as memories of that day washed over her. Try as she might, she would never forget them

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 A month ago….

 Dumbledore had to put a sleeping spell over the both of them to calm them down. Later on, while they were still lying there stilled and dulled from the grief Dumbledore came in and told them that Ron had gotten a letter from Voldemort telling him to go meet him in an area near the forbidden forest after lunch that day. He was not to tell anyone, or bring any one with him. It told him that if he didn't do what he was told, Harry and Hermione would be killed that night while they slept in their beds. Scared and frightened, for his friends Ron had obeyed the letter making sure that his friends would not miss him for a long time and left right after lunch to meet Voldemort. Hagrid had found his bloodied, mangled body thrown on the roof of his hut as he was placing more straw on his roof. By the time Dumbledore had finished, Hermione was in hysterics again, and had to be laid to sleep with another charm. Harry had stayed perfectly calm, rigid with the hate that he felt inside. He didn't cry, he didn't scream, he remained utterly calm and asked to see the body. He was lead to it, what was left of it after they scraped Ron off the roof of Hagrid's hut. By that time the entire Weasley clan had gathered there. Crying, weeping, and collapsed on the floor Mrs. Weasley had managed to drag herself from the floor and embrace Harry in a spine crushing hug.      

            "Oh my God, oh Harry, I thought he had gotten you too, oh Harry, Harry I'm so glad that you're alright." Mrs. Weasley had sobbed into his shoulder.

And Harry, standing there almost catatonically had never felt worse, it was his fault that Ron had ended up like this and yet they were not blaming him, they comforted him and welcomed him even in their greatest time of grief. From that moment Harry vowed that he would do to Voldemort's body what he had done to Ron's tenfold. Of course, Hermione had found out nothing about this. She didn't know that Harry had a death wish, she still doesn't. All she knew was that when she woke up from the hospital bed Harry had been sitting on her bed fully dressed, and with a distant look in his eyes. 

"I don't think you should see Ron's body" Harry said "It might be too much for you, I, I almost could not bear it." 

He turned his head away from Hermione as he was saying this thinking that if Hermione did not see him in pain she would also be okay. But to Hermione it seemed that Harry had shut her out, as if he was trying not to show his aversion to her presence. It broke her heart. Did he blame her for Ron's death because she was so eager to learn a new spell that she had made Harry, and herself forget about Ron for a few hours?             

"What makes you think that I can't bear as much as you," Hermione asked in an apathetic voice, Harry started at that, Hermione sounded so cold, why? 

"Answer me Harry" She said looking him straight in the eye. "Why do you not think I can handle it?" 

"It's just…….the extent of the damage done to his body, it's, it's beyond wretched, beyond evil. Oh Hermione, the entire left side of his stomach was cut out with small jagged cuts while he was still alive!" Hermione twisted her head to stare up at Harry after that statement

"Alive?" she whispered "alive……..alive………. oohhh God……..alive?" Hermione was in a state of daze for the rest of the conversation. Well for the rest of what Harry said anyway. None of it really registered in her mind. Perhaps Harry did tell her about the suicide mission he was going to attempt and she just blocked it from her memory, perhaps not. 

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Author's note;

            Well what do you think? I love Harry Potter too so I decided to give this a try. Shall we find out what happens to Hermione and Harry in front of the castle back in the present? Also as side note, this fic was written before book 5 came out. So it contradicts a good deal of the happenings in book 5 and it will continue to do so. Enjoy the read and please review

Aldesina


	2. Chapter 2

                                                          Que Sera Sera

By    Aldesina

Chapter 2

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Disclaimer: You know the drill, I own, nada, neda, niddle, zip, zoop, zap, zomp, dittle, diddly, dit, squat, nothing, zero, nil, zilch……………need I say more?

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            "Hermione, Hermione!" Hermione heard her own name being shouted at her, bringing her back from her memories of last month. She stared up at that looming fortress again, how on earth can a thing like this not be seen? How on earth can it be possible?

            "Hermione!"

            "Yes Harry, I'm here, I'm sorry I just, I just blanked for a second" Hermione said quietly. She did not want Harry to know that she was thinking back to that time, about a month ago, she didn't want him to relive in the daytime what he had to live through during the night time when his eyes closed. 

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            Two and a Half Weeks Ago, Boy's Dormitories, Gryffindor Tower

            "No….." Harry tossed and turned in his bed 

            "No……….. no how? But, but, you're…. you really are? Are you? No wait, I, I don't understand, come back, tell me how wait, no………." Harry thrashed once more in his sleep, then went still. Suddenly Harry sat bolt up in his bed.

            "RON!" he screamed. Harry jumped out of his bed and ran over to the one across from him, flinging open the covers expecting to see his best friend. There was no one there. The scar on the top of his head was glowing bright green, and could be seen clearly, even though it was obscured by the moment by his bangs. The burning sensation that Harry usually felt whenever his scar acted up didn't seem to bother Harry. He didn't feel even feel it burning.

            "Ron?" he asked again quietly, he glanced around the room, and it seemed that none of the others had awakened or had been disturbed by his thrashing, they were all still asleep.  He shook his head, trying to clear it of the nightmare he had. He had nightmares almost every night now, they were usually of Ron's last minutes alive, being tortured and mutilated by Voldemort. However this dream was different. 

In this dream Ron was not dead, and Voldemort had not been by his side afflicting pain upon his body. Instead he was chained to a wall, held up by the shackles around his wrists. 

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"Harry….." Ron croaked weakly, he looked terrible. His red hair was mangled and matted on top of his head, there was dried blood on his forehead and his face was so pale that Harry could almost see the veins that ran underneath. His body was twisted, and it seemed like he was about to collapse at any moment. His eyes looked bloodshot, and he looked older then his 17 years.  His fingers were bloody, and his arm seemed to be at a odd angle and his lip was cracked and broken, yet he was whole, His insides were not ripped out and his legs were not smashed and slashed apart. 

"No…………no how?" Harry thought that Voldemort was playing a trick on him, how else could Ron be there, whole in front of him, it made no sense.

"Harry you have to open your mind, you have to see, you have to let your mind see…. Open your mind, but shield it, always remember that! " He continued.

"But, but you're you really are? Are you?" Harry took a step forward in his dream, reaching out to Ron, trying to grasp the chains that held him; but Ron always just seemed to be out of his reach.

"Harry, you can do it, I know you can see with your mind, forget your eyes, they are useless, trust in you mind, and trust in your friends, your true friends, They'll see too! And she; she'll also understand what you see." Ron's voice was getting more and more imperceptible with every word. "Don't just let anyone read your mind, don't just let anyone in, you must, you…….. "

"No wait, I, I don't understand, come back" Harry made a last attempt lunge to reach his friend.

"You must shield your mind. Remember those things, always remember them, never, don't ever forget……….." Ron's voice faded to nothing and he disappeared along with it.

"Tell me how, wait, no……….." Inside his mind, he heard Ron's scream and then laughter, horrible evil laughter. 

"RON!"

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Harry told Hermione about that dream the next morning, during breakfast in the Great Hall. It was the first time that he told her about the nightmares that he had after he saw Ron's body. However Hermione knew this was not the first time that he had been having nightmares. She had seen his face early in the mornings; at breakfast Harry would show up with bloodshot eyes. She'd seen the way that he tried to keep himself busy at night. So busy that he did not have to sleep. Or perhaps tire himself out so much that if he did sleep, it would be a dreamless sleep. She saw it, but did not push it, not because she did not care, but because she did not know how to act when Harry was like this. They had become apart in the past two weeks, more apart then they had ever been. They didn't speak to each other as much anymore, didn't look at each other. Didn't spend time together. It seemed to Hermione that Harry hardly had time for anyone anymore, least of all her; he worked harder and harder in his classes, and took more and more extra assignments to do on his own. When he wasn't preoccupied with his schoolwork he was constantly training, physically, mentally, magically, preparing himself in everyway possible. And he did not like to be interrupted

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Three Weeks ago

Hermione had stopped in one afternoon when Harry was practicing his spell casting in a spare classroom. They had barely spoken to each other since Ron's death and she was worried about him, and missed him. She looked in the classroom and saw that he was sweating and panting, and looked as if he was in intense pain. He was almost doubling over and held on to his wand as if his life depended on it, and there was a bright silver lighted bubble glowing around him.

"Harry!" she cried, running over to him wrapping an arm around him, completely disregarding the bubble of silver light. " Harry are you….."

"Hermione what are you doing in here?" Harry asked in a very irritated way, he stood up straight and shook off her arm roughly.

"I, you, you looked like you were about to collapse and kneel over, I…"

"I was not going to kneel over, I was concentrating on a new spell that Remus, Sirius and I developed" 

"You developed a spell together?" At first Hermione felt crushed that Harry hadn't asked her for help as well. She felt excluded, but was still intent on trying to be positive "That's great Harry," trying to sound as cheerful as possible, "so what does it do?" 

"It's a magical shield that you can put up around yourself while you're dueling, that way your opponent's curses simply bounce off you and you don't get hurt, yet you can still cast spells to hurt him while you are inside the shield. Not only that, but it can repel physical attacks on you as well." Harry said while brushing his robes, and wiping his forehead with a towel that he had left on a desk near him. He took a sip of water from the cup he had on the table and regarded Hermione with a curious look in his eyes.

"Although it seems that my shield is not quite up to par since you were able to just burst in here and break through."

            It was only then that Hermione noticed that the little bubble of silver light was no longer around his body. Again with the suspicion, Hermione thought, what is it these days? She hated when people were suspicious of each other, it brought so much turmoil between friends, and these days Harry was being deliberately difficult, well too can do that.

            "Well Harry, considering the fact that you were about to kneel over, I'm not surprised that I broke through that bubble easily, you were probably just too tired to maintain it anymore." Hermione said very matter of factly.

            "Harry was not the only one maintaining that shield around him, I was also aiding him, and I was not weakened by it as he was." Came a voice from the corner of the room. Hermione turned around and found the owner of the voice to be Sirius Black.

            "The shield was still very strong even though Harry himself was weak" Sirius continued, "You must have developed quite an arsenal of powers within yourself, to have been able to break through that shield so easily." Sirius was staring at her when he said that, but not the way a teacher looked at a student who accomplished something to be proud of. Sirius stared at her like she had done something wrong, stared at her in a way that made her hesitate, the same way that Dumbledore had stared at her when she had told him the reason why they had forgotten about Ron. Suspicious. 

            "I was worried about Harry" Hermione said defensively, why were they all looking at her that way? "He, he looked like he was about to…."

            "Never mind what I looked like I was about to do Hermione," Harry said not looking at her at all, "Could you leave us so we can continue practicing?" His voice snapped at her coldly, indifferent. It had been that way the entire week, and her heart broke to hear it.

            "Alright," she said softly, "I'll see you later." She turned around and left the room without turning back. 

            When Hermione had shut the door behind her Harry had heaved a sigh and looked at Sirius sadly

            "I should have been a lot nicer to her."

            "I know Harry" Sirius said resignedly "I should have been too."

            "But I told all of you to be mean to her, I told myself to be cold to her, that way, maybe she'd find other friends, friends that won't get her killed because someone else has a vendetta against them."

            "I know, but she is still loyal to you"

            "It will harm her in the end." Harry glanced at the door.

            "Perhaps not, you know Harry, maybe you should tell her about that dream you had last night, she is the cleverest witch that I have ever seen, I'm sure she'll be able to make heads or tails of it."

            "But Sirius, it's not only dreams now, they're visions, and other things that come along with it, sometimes I swear I can almost hear other people's thoughts. Not like when I heard the basilisk's" Harry said quickly when Sirius was about to interrupt him.

            "But I can hear people, their actual voices talking to themselves in their heads." Sirius cocked his head to the side at this and frowned. 

            "Have you told Dumbledore about this? I'm sure he'll be able to come up with some sort of a solution." 

            "Yes, and he's looking into it." Harry was still staring at the door; he had been this entire conversation. Hermione had looked so hurt when she left.

            "Well then," Sirius started, "why don't we practice this spell one more time, and then go see if Dumbledore has come up with any new developments about these visions, and dreams of yours." Harry nodded, picked up his wand and began the spell again.

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            That following week after they had the argument Hermione was sitting by herself at the breakfast table thinking about a new spell when she heard a voice behind her

            "Ahem, is this seat taken?" It was Harry 

            "No, it's free." Hermione replied, and went back to reading

            "Look, Hermione, I'm sorry, I know I should have been nicer to you, but, I've been having these problems and well I didn't want you to be involved, I mean, I didn't mean it that way, I just didn't want any more people to get hurt," And with what Harry told Hermione about the dreams, the visions, the voices, and all the other weird things that he had been holding back to himself. Hermione had been so happy that Harry started to talk to her again that the second he stopped rambling to take a breath she started spinning out ideas.

            "Have you asked Dumbledore? Could it just be from shock, no wait, that last one defiantly was not from shock. Perhaps Mad Eye Moody would know, I'm sure an Auror would know all sorts of things. I'll go look it up immediately in the library this evening, don't worry about a thing Harry, we'll get it sorted out faster then you can blink your eye!" She seemed so enthusiastic and confident that she could solve it that Harry had to smile, it was good to have his friend back, he missed her so during those weeks. 

            "Well Hermione, I have already blinked several times throughout this conversation, does that mean you have already solved this mystery in your head many, many times over?" Harry asked with a wide grin on his face. Hermione simply stared; Harry hadn't even shown a hint of smile the entire week, a whole grin from him was like a small miracle. 

            "Smart ass" She said, lightly punching him on the shoulder, while smiling widely at him. Seeing Hermione happy made Harry somewhat happier too, and he flashed her a small but genuine smile.            

            "Mr. Potter, Ms Granger," the two of them turned around looking up but not seeing anything

            "Ahem, down here if you please." They looked down into the face of Professor Flitwick, the tiny sized Charms teacher.

            "Professor Dumbledore would like to see the two of you in his office after dinner tonight at 8' o clock please be punctual. Enjoy the rest of your breakfast." He said and then proceeded to walk forward to the head table where all the professors ate.

            "See Harry," Hermione said enthusiastically, Dumbledore must already have some information about those dreams and visions."

            "If so, if they are true, then there could be a chance that the  body on Hagrid's roof was not Ron's, that he is alive." Harry exclaimed, he bit his lip "Oh Hermione do you think that is possible? That Ron's still alive?"

            "Absolutely Harry, your visions could give Professor Trelawney a run for her money!" 

            "Miss Cleo could give Professor Trelawney a run for her money." Harry said rolling his eyes. Hermione stared at him for a second then giggled, causing Harry to laugh right along with her. Having both grown up in the muggle world they both knew about television psychics who could supposedly see the future. And it felt good for both of them to be able to occasionally laugh and smile again. Now there was hope, and that was defiantly something to be glad for.

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Author's Note; I realize that I said this was to be a Draco and Hermione fic yet Draco has yet to make an appearance. He'll be here, he just plays a part in the latter part of Hermione's life. This is also partially Hermione/Harry by the way, nothing like a love triangle

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	3. Chapter 3

                                                         Que Sera Sera

By    Aldesina

Chapter 3

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Disclaimer: You know the drill, I own, nada, neda, niddle, zip, zoop, zap, zomp, dittle, diddly, dit, squat, nothing, zero, nil, zilch……………need I say more?

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Back to the present       

"Hermione!" Harry spoke to her again, this time placing a hand on hers "Come on, if we're going to go in, it's now or never."

"No wait," Hermione said, pulling Harry back, "What about Draco, he doesn't think you're going crazy, in fact he said that he would help you in any way that he could, why don't we go back and.."

"No he wasn't a friend of Ron's, well I can't say that…" Harry said after some afterthought. "He has changed from the fourth year after all."

"Not that much," Hermione said nudging Harry gently. It was true. Draco had changed, not entirely, but right now instead of being prone to do evil, he remained pretty much neutral. Although if prompted and prodded correctly, he will occasionally join the side of good, which delighted the other teachers at Hogwarts but would have caused his father to be more then a little cross at him, it would cause his father to kill him, That is, if Lucius ever found out.

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At the end of the fourth year of school, Draco had seemed to be the most evil horrid person in the school. However something about him changed in the summer, not much but enough so that Harry, Ron and Hermione noticed it and were intrigued by it enough to keep it in the back of their minds. Though he still treated Ron and Hermione as second class wizards and hated Harry with a passion, he seemed to have lost his delight in torturing other Gryffindors and students from the other houses. Draco Malfoy was acting very odd all fifth year, and it didn't ease the trio's minds either to see Lucius Malfoy strutting in the castle halls once or twice a month all that year. Not only that, but it seemed that the only time that Draco was particularly rotten to anyone was when Lucius was around. 

" Wonder if someone beat the crap out of him and now he only has the guts to insult someone when daddy's around" Ron said during breakfast one morning. 

" Now that is something that should definitely happen, Malfoy being beat up I mean" Harry had replied, " Isn't it about time that spoiled brat got what he deserved after all those years of being an asshole?"

"It seems that he still is an asshole, even when his father isn't here, I overheard some Slytherins talking the other day saying that Draco had dumped Pansy. Publicly! Right before a Hogsmead trip and everything." Neville added in.

"Yeah but then how the heck do you explain the fact that he's no longer bothering Harry, heck he didn't even bother to taunt Harry in the Quidditch match yesterday!" Ron said 

"No he just played dirty as usual" Lee Jordan said, they all laughed at that 

"Oh come on Lee do you really expect the Slytherins to play fair?" Seamus asked " It'd be like Snape handing out sweets and not giving us detention.!"

"No, no, no, it'd be the day Snape started handing out sweets in a frilly pink dress!"

" Snape in a frilly pink dress with bows, and  ribbons and purple plastic birdies!!" Seamus shouted through the gales of laughter pouring out from his fellow Gryffindor's mouths .

"Care to tell me what's so funny at this table that it's making you all laugh so loudly that we can hear it up at the teacher's table Mr. Finnigan?" The laughter died and suddenly everyone was completely engrossed with the contents on their plates.

"Don't look down so quickly Mr. Jordan, I plan to hear your explanation right after I hear Mr. Finnigan's." 

"Well, you see Professor Snape, er, we were just, we were just………" Seamus started. 

"You just thought it would be amusing to make a mockery of me over your morning meal didn't you?" Snape cut in .

"No, no, not at, all, all not, not.." Seamus said shaking his head violently. 

" Jordan! What do you have to say for yourself?" Snape swiveled his head around to look at the other boy. 

"Er well, um, hmm.." 

"Well, you can continue thinking after class today in detention. You will report to my office at eight o'clock with quills, ink, and scrolls ready. And while you sit in detention you will think about why it will not do you any good to insult a teacher. You will produce the most well written essay on that subject that I have ever seen. I want four scrolls each and it shall be handed to me before you can leave tonight. If it is not the best writing that I have ever seen you will be serving another detention the following night." With that said, Snape sneered at them once more, and walked back up to the teacher's table to finish his breakfast. Seamus and Lee groaned, they had just sealed their fates for the next two nights; detention with Snape.

 By the sixth year Draco had practically become a saint compared to the other Slytherins. No more shrewd remarks, no more jests, tricks or crude jokes. He didn't even bother Harry anymore, no more Weasley jokes, and Hermione had not been called a mudblood since. It had made the trio very, very nervous. 

They had a run in with Draco one afternoon during their sixth year; he was sitting by himself by a fountain that Harry, Hermione and Ron were passing though, when he suddenly called out a hello to them. 

"Hey guys," he said, as though it was the most normal thing in the world for him to do. 

"Um excuse me but did you just say hi to us?" Ron said scrunching up his face

"Yeah, I said hi, and usually when someone says hello to you it's polite to answer them back." Draco said nonchalantly shredding a leaf between his fingers. 

"Manners?" Ron spat, "You want to teach me something about manners? Why you little…" 

"Calm down Ron" Hermione broke in, "What do you want Malfoy, I see that you lack the usual cronies by your side, what's the matter? They couldn't stand your stench anymore?"

"Oh you wound me!" Draco said mockingly, "Look here buckteeth, if you think that remark was suppose to be a clever insult you're more off your rocker then I thought you were"

"Just what the hell _do you want Malfoy?" Harry cut in before Hermione decided to kill Draco._

"Nothing, just a chat with a few fellow classmates, that's all. It's not a sin now is that?" Draco smirked "Well Saint Potter, is it a sin?"

"Why you…….." Ron made a lunge for Draco but was pulled back when Harry and Hermione grabbed his robes.

"Sod off Malfoy; it's only the unfortunate time of your birth that made us into classmates." Hermione scoffed "Come on Ron, Harry, let's leave."

"Now, now wait a minute." Draco said running around them to cut them off

"I said back off Malfoy!" Hermione pulled her wand out and stuck it in front of Malfoy's face, "Unless you would enjoy becoming the amazing bouncing ferret again?" Harry and Ron also had their wands drawn, Hermione might have loosened up over these past years, but she was a prefect this year and would never go around threatening people just like that. It worried them slightly, plus the fact that if Hermione happened to miss Draco when cursing him, they could always back her up, but they doubted that she would miss.

            Draco smirked slightly

            "Aren't you going to slap me first?" he winked at her, but stopped when Hermione's wand made contact with his chest.

"Hermione I want no hostility between the two of us, ok, the four of us when you include Potter and Weasley, you know that I do not like being bounced up and down…."

"That's precisely why I suggested it to you" Hermione cut in smoothly flicking her wand ever so slightly.

"The thing is……." Draco said, now slightly exasperated, "That I would like to call a truce." His arms were raised in slight surrender.

"A what?" The three of them asked together, wands still aimed at Draco.

"That's right, you heard me, A truce. Do I have a deal?"

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	4. Chapter 4

Que Sera Sera  

By    Aldesina

Chapter 4

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Disclaimer: You know the drill, I own, nada, neda, niddle, zip, zoop, zap, zomp, dittle, diddly, dit, squat, nothing, zero, nil, zilch……………need I say more?

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Dumbledore's Office, in the past 

8:00 sharp

           Harry and Hermione had left dinner early that night to ensure that they were promptly in Dumbledore's office at eight. 

            "Ton tongue toffees!" said Hermione. Being a  prefect since her fifth year, she had access to the passwords of almost every room and office. Of course it was also expected that prefects would not abuse this power. The creature guarding the entrance leapt to the side and allowed the two of them to pass. 

            "Ahh there you are" Dumbledore greeted them in his usual melodious voice.  "Did you both get enough to eat for dinner? I was informed by your friend Dobby that you had left the dinning hall early so you would not be late."

            "We got plenty to eat professor. Thank you for asking." Harry said,

            "Hermione?" Dumbledore asked, looking at the young girl

            "Plenty" Hermione echoed. Which was true. They were both in such good spirits that from the thought that Dumbledore could already solved the problem that they had both worked up a healthy appetite by dinner time. They both speedily devoured the food that appeared in front of them, and ran to meet Dumbledore. 

            "Good, good, now I know that the two of you ran up here in the hopes that I would have some good news, well I have news, but I'm not sure that it is any good. But bear in mind…" Dumbledore added quickly when he saw their faces fall. "That we are not yet done researching all the facts yet. There is still much more to be looked into."

            "We?" asked Harry, "Professor, who else do you have searching into this?"

            "Is Rivera helping?" Hermione asked, she had hoped that the she werewolf would be there, it's been a long time since the two of them last talked and a lot had happened that Hermione would actually like to get a older woman's advice on. "She had a focus on psychology when she studied in her muggle schools." Over the years the three friends had formed a strong bond with the she werewolf, and considered her one of their friends. 

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            Rivera Lunestone had been in the employ of Voldemort for all her life. He had picked her up when she was little and had protected her from the three muggle children who saw her lying there in agony right after she had transformed back to her human form. They had tried to kill her. The muggle children got killed instead. Naturally she was very much weary of children of any sort. So when Remus first brought her over to Sirius's house to meet Harry, Hermione and Ron she was skeptical, she was twitching, and she was unbearably uncomfortable. And for good reason too. The three children that tormented her and were killed by Voldemort had been the trio's age, and happened to be a girl and two boys. She expected to be pointed at, laughed out and looked at with distrusting eyes. Rivera was also nervous because she was afraid that somebody might spot them out in the daytime. After all it had only been a month since she got away from Voldemort, and they were still on the run.

            What greeted her however when she first walked in the room was the sight of three almost fully grown teenagers throwing themselves at Lupin in a gigantic hug. 

            "Professor Lupin!" cried out a girl with wild curly hair "It's been so long! Did you hear about the potion that Harry and I are working on? I think we might have got it! Would you like to test it? Not that I'm saying that your our guinea pig or anything it's just that well the next full moon is coming up and…." 

            "Whoa slow down Hermione I can barely make out everything you're saying!"  Remus said laughing. "And it's just Remus now don't you remember?"

            "Who can?" asked a boy with flaming red hair, he rolled his eyes. "Honestly Hermione how can you even suggest it? What is the potion goes horribly wrong?"

            "It won't go wrong, " The girl named Hermione said pointedly "Besides, you should know by now Ron that I would never give something toxic to my friends unlike a certain people in this room, who go around telling people that he developed a anti acne potion , 'cough' RON! 'cough, cough" 

            "Ha ha, Hermione, very funny. Really!" Ron said blushing to the color of his hair.

"How are you Remus?" Came a calm voice. Rivera turned to see the last child standing there. He had jet black hair and bright green eyes, and was looked just as excited as the other two, but also seemed hesitant. 

"Are you alright?" He asked, "You haven't had any death threats lately have you I

mean, well, he didn't try to go after you again did he?"

The other two quieted down after that comment.

"Of course he didn't. Remus has got Rivera living with him now, and she's like a trained assassin, Voldemort would be stupid to attack him now that has got his own personal bodyguard!" Ron said.

"Oh please Ron, She's not his bodyguard, she's his new friend and our new ally,

don't be so rude." Hermione rolled her eyes at him "By the way Remus, Hermione said, turning her attention back to Remus, "Where is she?"

"She's right here." Remus said turning around. "Rivera, hun, uh, Rivera, come here, and get out of the doorway." Three pairs of eyes turned to meet hers. Green, blue, and honey brown met rusty gold ones. And they smiled. 

"Hi" They said simultaneously. She blinked, how curious they're synchronized. "Hi," she replied back shyly. 

"Come on in," The girl said, she practically skipped her way over to Rivera and

took her hand, pulling her into the room and shutting the door behind her. Rivera looked longingly toward the door that was now shut, but followed the hand that pulled her.

"Would you like some tea, or something to eat?" Rivera found herself sitting down on a couch next to Hermione who was a whirlwind of activity grabbing teacups, pouring and mixing tea, adding honey and sugar or milk to each person's liking and adding a cookie or some other sort of treat onto the saucer where the teacup lay. She seemed to know how each person liked their tea down flat. 

"How do you like your tea Rivera?" Honey? Sugar? Milk? Creamer? Hot? Warm? Cold? Or maybe some flavoring? This Earl Grey tea will go great with either a hint of jasmine or some orange, just a bit.  I can fix it up anyway you like in a jiff." 

"Hot," Rivera said, marveling at the way Hermione could talk, look at her, pour tea, mix in fixings and hand it to the correct person at the same time. 

"Some honey would be nice, and no creamer." Rivera said. 

"No flavoring either?" Hermione asked quickly pouring the steaming contents into Rivera's cup.

"No, that's not needed."

"Ok, here you go, hope you like it, I made Sirius take out all his teas, its atrocious, the shape that they were in, I had to use magic to sort it all out."

Rivera spit out her tea, and stared at the girl, she enspelled the tea? What if it was already taken affect? What if it was poison?

"Rivera what's wrong?" Lupin asked gently, as he moved from the rocking chair that he was sitting at to take the empty spot on the other side of her on the couch. 

"She, she, she cast a spell on the tea, I, I, did I do something?" Rivera asked, she had dropped what was left of her tea onto the floor and clutched Lupin in blind panic. Voldemort used cast a charm on her food so that she would never be full and always be ravenously hungry. It would make her kill hundreds of people every time she turned into a wolf because she could never satisfy her hunger. By now everyone was looking at her, she shrunk back against Lupin.

"No, no, I didn't cast a spell on the tea, don't worry." Hermione said, gently reaching her hand out and held it with her palm up showing Rivera that she didn't have anything in it. "I just cast a spell to sort it, so you get only one kind of tea. Otherwise you'd have green tea with red tea and black tea and it would just taste like tea fruit punch" Lupin laughed at that and the other people in the room smiled.

"Don't worry Rivera, our Hermione here is the smartest and one of the kindest witches I know, even though she knew I was a werewolf, she kept my secret hidden away, even from her friends and family. Not only that, when Sirius and I were down trying to kill Pettigrew she was the only one down there with enough sense to see that I was not evil." Lupin smiled at Rivera and stroked her arm, "She won't harm you, none of them will, I promise." Rivera looked at the girl's outstretched hand, well just maybe…. Rivera smiled hesitantly and took Hermione's proffered hand along with a new cup of tea. 

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End file.
